A Dark Day in Mid September

Wow! There goes summer and here comes Autumn almost full blast and with a drop in the temperature that has been shivering; partly with the cold but mostly with the worry that, having had the heating STILL on in June (seriously folks, June!) it may not be October before it goes on again but SEPTEMBER!!! (yes, I am shouting a bit. Shock! Horror! OMG! I pay the bill!)
And I was dreaming of a golden Indian summer, sharp dry mornings kicking through leaves leading to warm days kissed by the orange rays of a falling sun and crisp evenings watching as the candle-lighting time creeps earlier every night. Forget the evening. I feel like lighting the candles NOW and it's only just 10 in the morning!
So on a day when I have an office to clear, the washing up to do and detritus of the family life to tidy, what shall I do? (after I finish my blog entry, of course)

I may read this book, Homemade Winter by Yvette Van Boven.

I bought this as my holiday present this year and it is a lovely collection of recipes designed for Winter.

Soups, stews, bread, biscuits in a style that combines Yvette's Dutch heritage with the influence of her childhood home in Ireland. I have several things that I'm planning to do from the book, including the show stopping front cover recipe.

 I love the fact that Yvette has drawn some recipes because, as she says, it's quicker than writing and she's impatient. For someone who struggles to read, like my daughter, diagrams are easier to follow so I'm sure the princess will be dipping in to this book!

 Yvette writes small pieces about what different days and festivals mean to her, how they were celebrated and what happened in Holland or Ireland. They add a lovely personal touch in a book that is very personal any way. I'm definitely keen to buy her other books, Homemade and Homemade Summer.

 Probably when I sit for lunch I will do another couple of rows for the Christmas Donkey Giveaway at church this year. The under 5 team at my church try and give a soft toy or decoration, a card and an invitation to a party to every family with an under 5 in the parish. That's about 200 in total.

Last year's project was felt stars to sew up and decorate. This year it is donkeys based on an Alan Dart pattern. A little more complicated. I am going to do my best, but it actually takes more time and effort to knit than to crochet and it's been a while since I bothered with a pattern. I may get my WI to help. I know we have some really good knitters in there!
And of course I'll need something good to drink, something healthy to eat and something to watch while I finish off. In an ideal world it would be chilled white wine, smoked salmon and blinis and a copy of Iron Man 3 fresh through the post. But the world is far from ideal so I'll settle for second best.

Hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, a few easy peel citrus fruits (oh good, you didn't notice that I can't remember which sort we bought!) and possibly a sneaky episode of House of Cards. Loving it, absolutely. West Wing gone bad, and how bad!!! I understand there is a second series in the works. Can't wait (although obviously, I will)